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| JESUS AND THE PHARISEES. Image via google.com |
"Was John's baptism of heavenly or
of human origin. Answer me."
Authority, according to Google, is the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience; also, the right to act in a specified way, delegated from one person or organization to another.
Possession of authority is important because it is the foundation of one's right or privilege to exact obedience and respect. One who doesn't have the authority doesn't have the right or privilege to rule or command. In our times, authority is based on different factors: in many democratic governments the Constitution provides bases of authority for those who govern the people; in a corporation, they also have a Charter upon which authority is based and most often it is the Board of Directors that welds this authority which they delegate upon the officers of the Corporation through resolutions; in a family, parents have authority over their children until they reach legal age by which time they are emancipated from parental control.
In the Church, authority is based upon the Lord's Teachings that have been handed, hence tradition, from Latin traditus meaning to hand over or hand down, through oral and written manners. Since these are sacred things that have been handed down to us, we call them Sacred Tradition. Sacred Tradition is composed of those that have been handed down orally or through the actions of the Church which she have been doing ever since her foundation mostly seen through her existing liturgies and the written which have been collected into what we call the Holy Bible. Another important part of Sacred Tradition is Magisterium, the Teaching Authority of the Church. Hence the Catholic Church stands on a stable tripod of Sacred Traditions in fulfilling and using her authority regarding religious, spiritual and moral matters over her members: the oral Traditions most of which survived through the Liturgy, the written tradition which are in the Holy Bible, and the Magisterium because she possesses and is being guided by the Holy Spirit, the Advocate and Teacher par excellence [see John 14:26].
This same authority is being questioned by those who oppose the Catholic Church, ironically, these oppositors try to get their authority from only one of the important Sacred Traditions, the Holy Bible. Convenient since the Holy Bible cannot explain itself and cannot tell them directly, "Hey, you're missing some other important things in expressing Christianity!" The only authority that they want to hold on to is the Holy Bible and promote the so-called Sola Scriptura or Bible-only mentality when such principle isn't even stated in the Holy Bible! The handicap of this principle can be seen in the many diverse interpretations of the Holy Bible creating multitudes of various and divergent sects and denominations whose only uniting factor is their abhorrence of the Catholic Church!
One important aspect of authority is its continuity. The History of the Church would show that at no point in her existence did she stopped from being Church. Secular powers and rulers came and have gone but she remained strong and stable. She may have had crises and was even ruled by unholy leaders, but she remained standing thanks to the Lord who promised that not even the gates of hell can overcome her [see Matthew 16:18]. One more thing, questioning the Church's authority would be tantamount to declaring that the Holy Spirit failed in His role as Advocate, Teacher and Guide [John 14:26].
Authority is very important and one has to be very careful as to what authority he or she holds on to or supports for when reckoning time comes, he or she would be truly answerable to the Source of the authority. Of course, the greater responsibility lies upon the shoulders of those who mislead others. But one cannot be forever ignorant or even innocent for the world is getting smaller each day due to many advancements in technology and in most places the right information is readily available through the click of a mouse.
So when you are asked as to what authority you live - that is, do, think and speak - your life, you better know the right answer!
We must remember that the Lord Jesus Christ performed miracles and signs in connection with His teachings. Hence people say that He was different from their leaders for He teaches with authority [see Matthew 7: 28-29]. This authority was very powerful for even demons obey those who use His name [see Luke 10:17].
So the Pharisees wanted to pin down the Lord Jesus Christ by asking Him where His authority came from. If the Lord says from God, they would accuse Him of blasphemy; if He says it's just human power, then they would probably accuse Him of possession by demons. The Lord knew what they were thinking so He asked them with the same question that they asked Him but with reference to John the Baptizer. And the Pharisees were caught unprepared with that and they decided to tell Him that they do not know. Evasive answer. So the Lord also didn't make a direct response regarding the origin of His authority.
So the Pharisees wanted to pin down the Lord Jesus Christ by asking Him where His authority came from. If the Lord says from God, they would accuse Him of blasphemy; if He says it's just human power, then they would probably accuse Him of possession by demons. The Lord knew what they were thinking so He asked them with the same question that they asked Him but with reference to John the Baptizer. And the Pharisees were caught unprepared with that and they decided to tell Him that they do not know. Evasive answer. So the Lord also didn't make a direct response regarding the origin of His authority.
Possession of authority is important because it is the foundation of one's right or privilege to exact obedience and respect. One who doesn't have the authority doesn't have the right or privilege to rule or command. In our times, authority is based on different factors: in many democratic governments the Constitution provides bases of authority for those who govern the people; in a corporation, they also have a Charter upon which authority is based and most often it is the Board of Directors that welds this authority which they delegate upon the officers of the Corporation through resolutions; in a family, parents have authority over their children until they reach legal age by which time they are emancipated from parental control.
In the Church, authority is based upon the Lord's Teachings that have been handed, hence tradition, from Latin traditus meaning to hand over or hand down, through oral and written manners. Since these are sacred things that have been handed down to us, we call them Sacred Tradition. Sacred Tradition is composed of those that have been handed down orally or through the actions of the Church which she have been doing ever since her foundation mostly seen through her existing liturgies and the written which have been collected into what we call the Holy Bible. Another important part of Sacred Tradition is Magisterium, the Teaching Authority of the Church. Hence the Catholic Church stands on a stable tripod of Sacred Traditions in fulfilling and using her authority regarding religious, spiritual and moral matters over her members: the oral Traditions most of which survived through the Liturgy, the written tradition which are in the Holy Bible, and the Magisterium because she possesses and is being guided by the Holy Spirit, the Advocate and Teacher par excellence [see John 14:26].
This same authority is being questioned by those who oppose the Catholic Church, ironically, these oppositors try to get their authority from only one of the important Sacred Traditions, the Holy Bible. Convenient since the Holy Bible cannot explain itself and cannot tell them directly, "Hey, you're missing some other important things in expressing Christianity!" The only authority that they want to hold on to is the Holy Bible and promote the so-called Sola Scriptura or Bible-only mentality when such principle isn't even stated in the Holy Bible! The handicap of this principle can be seen in the many diverse interpretations of the Holy Bible creating multitudes of various and divergent sects and denominations whose only uniting factor is their abhorrence of the Catholic Church!
One important aspect of authority is its continuity. The History of the Church would show that at no point in her existence did she stopped from being Church. Secular powers and rulers came and have gone but she remained strong and stable. She may have had crises and was even ruled by unholy leaders, but she remained standing thanks to the Lord who promised that not even the gates of hell can overcome her [see Matthew 16:18]. One more thing, questioning the Church's authority would be tantamount to declaring that the Holy Spirit failed in His role as Advocate, Teacher and Guide [John 14:26].
Authority is very important and one has to be very careful as to what authority he or she holds on to or supports for when reckoning time comes, he or she would be truly answerable to the Source of the authority. Of course, the greater responsibility lies upon the shoulders of those who mislead others. But one cannot be forever ignorant or even innocent for the world is getting smaller each day due to many advancements in technology and in most places the right information is readily available through the click of a mouse.
So when you are asked as to what authority you live - that is, do, think and speak - your life, you better know the right answer!
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